Host status and reaction of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Medicago truncatula</Emphasis> accessions to infection by three major pathogens of pea (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pisum sativum</Emphasis>) and alfalfa (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Medicago sativa</Emphasis>)

Ditylenchus dipsaci, the stem nematode of alfalfa (Medicago sativa), Mycosphaerella pinodes, cause of Ascochyta blight in pea (Pisum sativum) and Aphanomyces euteiches, cause of pea root rot, result in major yield losses in French alfalfa and pea crops. These diseases are difficult to control and the partial resistances currently available are not effective enough. Medicago truncatula, the barrel medic, is the legume model for genetic studies, which should lead to the identification and characterization of new resistance genes for pathogens. We evaluated a collection of 34 accessions of M. truncatula and nine accessions from three other species (two from M. italica, six from M. littoralis and one from M. polymorpha) for resistance to these three major diseases. We developed screening tests, including standard host references, for each pathogen. Most of the accessions tested were resistant to D. dipsaci, with only three accessions classified as susceptible. A very high level of resistance to M. pinodes was observed among the accessions, none of which was susceptible to this pathogen. Conversely, a high level of variation, from resistant to susceptible accessions, was identified in response to infection by A. euteiches.     

AlgU contributes to the virulence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas syringae</Emphasis> pv. <Emphasis Type="Italic">tomato</Emphasis> DC3000 by regulating production of the phytotoxin coronatine

Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (Pst DC3000), which causes bacterial speck disease of tomato, has been used as a model pathogen to investigate the molecular basis of plant–pathogen interactions. The function of many potential virulence factors encoded in the Pst DC3000 genome and their modes of action are not fully understood. P. syringae is known to produce the exopolysaccharide alginate. Although AlgU, a sigma factor, is known to regulate the expression of genes such as algD related to alginate biosynthesis, the molecular mechanisms of AlgU in the virulence of Pst DC3000 is still unclear. To investigate the function of AlgU and alginate in plant–bacterial pathogen interactions, we generated ΔalgU and ΔalgD mutants. After inoculation with ΔalgU but not ΔalgD, host plants of Pst DC3000 including tomato and Arabidopsis had milder disease symptoms and reduced bacterial populations. Expression profiles of Pst DC3000 genes revealed that AlgU can regulate not only the expression of genes encoding alginate biosynthesis, but also the expression of genes related to type III effectors and the phytotoxin coronatine (COR). We also demonstrated that the ΔalgU mutant showed full virulence in the Arabidopsis fls2 efr1 double mutant, which is compromised in the recognition of PAMPs. Further, the application of COR was able to restore the phenotype of the ΔalgU mutant in the stomatal response. These results suggest that AlgU has an important role in the virulence of Pst DC3000 by regulating COR production.     

The chemotaxis regulator <Emphasis Type="Italic">pilG</Emphasis> of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xylella fastidiosa</Emphasis> is required for virulence in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vitis vinifera</Emphasis> grapevines

Type IV pili of X. fastidiosa are regulated by pilG, a response regulator protein putatively involved in chemotaxis-like operon sensing stimuli through signal transduction pathways. To elucidate the roles of pilG in pathogenicity of X. fastidiosa, the pilG-deletion mutant XfΔpilG and complemented strain XfΔpilG-C were generated. While all strains had similar growth curves in vitro, XfΔpliG showed significant reduction in cell-matrix adherence and biofilm production compared with wild-type X. fastidiosa and XfΔpilG-C. The genes pilE, pilU, pilT, and pilS were down-regulated in XfΔpliG when compared with its complemented strain and wild-type X. fastidiosa. Finally, no Pierce’s disease symptoms were observed in grapevines inoculated with XfΔpilG, whereas grapevines inoculated with the wild-type X. fastidiosa and complemented strain of XfΔpilG-C developed typical Pierce’s Disease (PD) symptoms. The results indicate that pilG has a role in X. fastidiosa virulence in grapevines.     

Effects of light quality on conidiophore formation of the melon powdery mildew pathogen <Emphasis Type="Italic">Podosphaera xanthii</Emphasis>

The lengths of conidiophores in fungal colonies of the melon powdery mildew pathogen Podosphaera xanthii Pollacci KMP-6 N cultured under greenhouse (natural) conditions differed markedly from those cultured in a growth chamber. We hypothesized that light wavelength was responsible for the differences in conidiophore length. In this study, we examined the effects of light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation (purple, blue, green, orange, and red light) and white light on colony development and conidiophore formation in KMP-6 N using a stereomicroscope and a high-fidelity digital microscope. Colonies on leaves were flat under greenhouse conditions and under red LED light irradiation but were stacked under growth chamber conditions and under purple, blue, green, and orange LED light irradiation. In addition, KMP-6 N formed catenated conidia comprising six conidia per conidiophore under greenhouse conditions and red light but more than seven conidia per conidiophore under growth chamber conditions and purple, blue, green, and orange light. Furthermore, almost none of the conidia on top of the conidiophores grown under blue light were fully constricted. Therefore, these fungi could not scatter their conidia and spread infection. This is the first report of the effects of LED lights on conidiophore formation in the melon powdery mildew fungus P. xanthii. The results provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the responses of conidiophores to light of specific wavelengths and conidial scatter from conidiophores of melon powdery mildew fungi.     

Effect of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Metarhizium guizhouense</Emphasis> infection on mating competition and mate choice of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bactrocera latifrons</Emphasis> (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Metarhizium guizhouense PSUM02 treated males of Bactrocera latifrons were investigated for the mating competition among males and mating choice by female flies to develop an auto-dissemination for the control of B. latifrons. In the present study, on day 1–4 of experiment, M. guizhouense–treated male flies were equally competitive with the normal male flies as we did not observe any differences in mating by treated and normal male flies of B. latifrons. Further, mating competitiveness were found low in treated adult male B. latifrons than normal male B. latifrons from 5th days of treatment until death. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis of treated male flies gave average survival times (AST) of 4.3?±?0.1 days, while the healthy female and male flies in the same cage showed AST of 9.3?±?0.3 and 8.3?±?0.4 days, respectively. The AST of untreated flies in control experiment ranged from 14.2–14.5 days. In mating preference experiment, M. guizhouense–treated male flies were chosen by virgin female than gravid female flies for mating. The treated male flies caused mortality in both virgin and gravid female flies in the same cage with AST of 4.4?±?0.1, 5.6?±?0.1 and 7.4?±?0.2 days, respectively, while untreated flies showed AST ranged from 13.9–14.3 days in control. The treated male flies could transmit the fungus infection to both untreated female and male flies as well as in virgin and gravid female flies by mating and contact. Our experiments showed the potentiality of M. guizhouense PSUM02 in management of B. latifrons by auto-dissemination with treated male flies, which transmit the fungus to a healthy population to reduce insect pest infestations.     

Feeding potential of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptolaemus montrouzieri</Emphasis> against the mealybug <Emphasis Type="Italic">Phenacoccus solenopsis</Emphasis>

Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is an exotic species native to the USA, damaging cotton and other plant families. The feeding potential of different development stages of Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant, a biological control agent against mealybugs, was investigated on different development stages of P. solenopsis. Fourth instar grubs and adults of C. montrouzieri were the most voracious feeders on different instars of mealybug. The number of 1^st instar nymphs of mealybug consumed by 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th instar larvae and adult beetles of C. montrouzieri was 15.56, 41.01, 125.38, 162.69 and 1613.81, respectively. The respective numbers of 2^nd and 3^rd instar nymphs of mealybug consumed were 11.15 and 1.80, 26.35 and 6.36, 73.66 and 13.32, 76.04 and 21.16, 787.95 and 114.66. The corresponding figures for adult female mealybugs were 0.94, 3.23, 8.47, 12.71 and 73.40, respectively. The results indicate that C. montrouzieri has the potential to be exploited as a biocontrol agent in North India; inoculative releases of 4^th instar larvae and adults may provide instant control of P. solenopsis. Field experiments should be conducted to determine the efficiency of the ladybird on this mealybug.